0414 The Interaction of Historical Psychedelic Use and Time Spent in Bed on Sleep Architecture
April Roper, Chase A. Stratton, Janeese Brownlow
SLEEP May 1, 2025 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsaf090.0414 via OpenAlex
Summary
Psychedelic drug use is linked to changes in sleep habits, with users spending more time asleep and less time in REM sleep compared to non-users. Specifically, users averaged 406 minutes in bed and experienced increased light and deep sleep, while differences in sleep staging were negligible. The study analyzed data from 21,076 adults, revealing that psychedelic users had significantly altered sleep patterns despite small effect sizes.
Study at a glance
| Design | observational cohort |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 21,076 |
| Population | U.S. adults aged around 56.55 years, including both psychedelic users and non-users |
| Key finding | Psychedelic use predicts more total sleep time and changes in sleep stages, including less REM sleep and more light and deep sleep. |
Abstract
Abstract Introduction Approximately 12% of U.S. adults report having used any type of psychedelic at some point in their lives, making it one of the most widely used recreational drugs. There exists a need for a better understanding of the consequences of use on objective sleep habits. Research on psychedelics effects on sleep indicate increased sleep duration, increased REM latency, and decreased slow wave sleep occur during and immediately after the post trip phase. The purpose of this study was to determine if psychedelic use was predictive of changes in total sleep time, time spent in each stage of sleep (REM, light, deep), and time spent awake and to describe sleep differences in users vs. non-users Methods Data were obtained from the All of Us research data base (n=21,076; Mean age = 56.55; Female= 67.3%). Participants indicated any type of psychedelic use and were grouped into users and non-users based on a yes (n=7,799) or no (n=13,277) response. Objective sleep measures included Fitbit sleep data to include number of minutes spent in each stage of sleep (REM, light, deep), minutes spent awake, and total sleep time in minutes. Results Data suggest that the interaction of history of psychedelic use and minutes spent in bed (users = 406 minutes; non-users = 405 minutes) predicts more time spent asleep (t=230.119, p<.001), less time spent in REM sleep (t=-256.7, p<.001), greater time spent in light sleep (t=176.58, p<.001), and increased time spent in deep sleep (t=177.71, p<.001). Additionally, small group differences were found between users and non-users on measures of total sleep time in minutes (t=19.075, p<.001; ES= 0.0087), minutes spent in REM sleep (t=-8.725, p<.001; ES= -0.0052), minutes spent in light sleep (t=30.262, p<.001; ES= 0.018), minutes spent in deep sleep (t=-33.701, p<.001; ES= -0.020) and minutes spent awake (t=7.43, p<.001; ES= 0.0044), however effect sizes were negligible. Conclusion Data suggests changes in objective sleep habits occur in those who use psychedelic drugs regardless of time of use. Differences in sleep staging among users was negligible. Support (if any) JAB’s time was supported by a Center Grant from the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (Grant # U54MD01595)